Mahua Ray was a painter, she still is. She expresses herself through her art, choosing to phrase everything with a brush stroke. She stumbled upon pottery by accident, while mentoring students in school as part of the visual arts department. Soon, it wasn’t just painting, but pottery and sculpture too, her mediums of expression expanded to three .
Mahua started to paint and learn alphabet almost at the same time. The passion within grew and she joined Birla Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata to learn the science of art. She not only passed out with distinction, but also received very high praises from the critics and legends alike. Even a sculptor like Debiprasad Rai Chaudhary commented on her work while giving away the first prize in one of the competitions. “He loved my imagination. I painted a sunset and you could see the reflection of the sun and the tree. He liked how I projected the whole thing,” says Mahua.
She almost single handedly built up the visual art department at the Singapore International School in Mumbai. Because of her other art engagements she never took up a full time job but for seven long years she added art as a holistic learning tool to Singapore International School and today the school attracts a lot of students because they and their parents want holistic learning and not just good results from education. Today, Mahua teaches students from all classes, conducts workshops for students with artistic bend of mind and then teaches and trains them to create art using clay and their own hands. Today she is an integral part of the school management especially when it comes to attracting new students every year.
While carrying out her teaching assignments Mahua remain rooted to her passion and continued working with clay. She opened her own studio and slowly started to get recognition from both India and abroad. She almost routinely gets invited to display her work at esteemed galleries like Jehangir Art Gallery, the Prince of Wales Museum etc. Besides she has also started participating in global art exhibitions. Starting with New York in the past she took part in an art exhibition which was only for Indian artists across painters and sculptors alike. This year in May she was invited to participate in a few key art exhibitions by Indian artists in London and Paris.
She is confident of turning a curriculum which aims to provide world class holistic education to create true global citizens. Her experience in Singapore International School has truely moulded her to think in this way which helps the school not only attract students from the best of families but also from families who are willing to spend enough for the same. Now you can experience Mahua Ray’s penchant for art and expression, on October 16, Sunday, at Museum of Goa, Pilerne. The talk is called ‘Creativity Unplugged’ and will start at 11 am, ending at 1pm.
